Colgate University AI Policy

Colgate University expects that all student work — whether it involves brainstorming, outlining, drafting, or final submission — will be generated by students themselves, working individually or in groups, as directed by the course instructor, syllabus, or assignment prompt instructions.

Unless explicitly permitted by the instructor, the use of AI tools for any part of any academic exercise submitted for evaluation constitutes Academic Dishonesty (cheating).

Individual faculty members may choose to permit the use of generative AI tools for specific assignments or purposes. Such permissions:

* Must be clearly stated in the course syllabus or on the assignment prompt;

* Must define the extent and nature of permitted use (e.g., brainstorming only, coding assistance, citation help);

* May differ from one assignment to another within the same course.

In the absence of a clear statement granting permission, the default assumption is that AI is not permitted.

Faculty members should state, in advance, their policies and procedures concerning examinations and other academic exercises. Students should request such information if a faculty member neglects to offer it. For questions regarding the use Generative Artificial Intelligence (“AI”), refer to the Baseline Policy on Generative Artificial Intelligence Use in Student Work above.

It is especially important that clear guidelines be established and followed concerning the use of “take-home” examinations.

Students completing an “in-class” or “take-home” examination should assume that any external assistance (e.g., books, notes, calculators, conversations with others) is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the instructor.

Students learn to think without AI before they rely on it, and to use it critically once they do.

AI is introduced intentionally to deepen—not shortcut—understanding.

Students are guided in the use of AI to research, analyze, create, and iterate.

As you think about the possible use of generative AI in your courses, it is important to clearly communicate guidelines for appropriate use to your students, and whether or not you’ll permit students to use generative AI tools.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) refers to any technologies that can autonomously produce text, images, code, media, translations, or other content. Examples include but are not limited to Grammarly, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DALL·E, GitHub Copilot, and Slidesgo.

Unless explicitly permitted by the instructor, the use of AI tools for any part of any academic exercise submitted for evaluation constitutes Academic Dishonesty (cheating).

This includes, but is not limited to:

* Using AI to complete problem sets, coding tasks, or data analysis;

Individual faculty members may choose to permit the use of generative AI tools for specific assignments or purposes. Such permissions:

* Must define the extent and nature of permitted use (e.g., brainstorming only, coding assistance, citation help);

Our faculty are exploring AI from many angles ranging from the ethics of AI, and developing their own AI-driven language instructional systems to integrating AI systems to more efficiently gather data sets.

Analyze research papers using and automate time-consuming research tasks like literature reviews, summarizing papers, and extracting data.

At Colgate, the role of artificial intelligence in faculty teaching, scholarship, and creative work is a faculty member's individual choice.

Avoid entering confidential data, per the University's Data Categorization Policy, into AI tools.

Our faculty are exploring AI from many angles ranging from the ethics of AI, and developing their own AI-driven language instructional systems to integrating AI systems to more efficiently gather data sets.

This category of genAI tools can assist with research / reading related tasks. These tools can summarize articles, and permit conversational queries within uploaded files.

Analyze research papers using and automate time-consuming research tasks like literature reviews, summarizing papers, and extracting data.

Julius can answer questions about data, perform analysis, and generate visualizations from uploaded files.  It can also provide the needed python code to complete these tasks.

Our faculty are exploring AI from many angles ranging from the ethics of AI, and developing their own AI-driven language instructional systems to integrating AI systems to more efficiently gather data sets.

Carefully examine any generated content for accuracy, bias, or copyrighted content before publishing. Don't assume all generative AI services are safe, unbiased in their results, or completely accurate.

Avoid entering confidential data, per the University's Data Categorization Policy, into AI tools. This includes but is not limited to non-public finance, human resources and medical information, and student records.

Generative AI tools using default settings may not be private and could expose sensitive data to unauthorized parties.

When the use of generative AI is explicitly allowed, students must:

* Clearly cite and attribute the AI tool used;

* Describe the nature of its use (e.g., “used ChatGPT to generate initial outline”);

* Follow any course-specific citation guidelines or use an accepted academic citation format (e.g., APA, MLA).

Failure to properly attribute AI use — even when permitted — constitutes a breach of academic honesty. When permitted but improperly cited, AI use may, depending on the circumstances, constitute plagiarism, fabrication, or cheating. When not permitted, it is cheating (and depending upon circumstances, may include fabrication as well).

It is important to be aware that detection tools are imperfect - and currently - no software is able to determine AI-generated text with 100% accuracy. Within academic contexts, AI detection tools might be used to identify situations where further inquiry into the use of AI-generated text may be needed. They should not be considered as a definitive measure in situations considering academic dishonesty.

Unless explicitly permitted by the instructor, the use of AI tools for any part of any academic exercise submitted for evaluation constitutes Academic Dishonesty (cheating).

Any instance in which a student allows another person or entity — including an AI system — to assist with their work, without authorization, is treated as academic dishonesty (and in the case of knowingly using AI when prohibited, it is cheating).

At Colgate University, academic honesty is assumed to be the norm, and there is no evidence that acts of academic dishonesty are commonplace. Nevertheless, in recognition of the importance the Academic Honor Code places on academic integrity, University Student Conduct Board penalties for infractions are significant.

At Colgate, the role of artificial intelligence in faculty teaching, scholarship, and creative work is a faculty member's individual choice.

As teachers, faculty are empowered to create educational experiences that best serve our diverse student body and enhance our rich curricular offerings. Individual faculty approaches as to whether AI is incorporated into their pedagogy vary considerably, given course goals, content, levels, and instructor preference.

Faculty are asked to be very clear with their students about any expectations regarding the use or prohibition of digital tools, including generative AI tools.

Carefully examine any generated content for accuracy, bias, or copyrighted content before publishing. Don’t assume all generative AI services are safe, unbiased in their results, or completely accurate.

To ensure the safety and protection of Colgate’s data, consult with ITS before procuring internal or external AI tools for use on the Colgate network or Colgate devices. ITS will ensure the tool meets appropriate privacy and security protections.

Avoid entering confidential data, per the University’s Data Categorization Policy, into AI tools. This includes but is not limited to non-public finance, human resources and medical information, and student records.

Generative AI tools using default settings may not be private and could expose sensitive data to unauthorized parties.

Please note: When using generative AI tools, it is important to avoid entering sensitive information to protect privacy and ensure data security. Please note that these tools have their own terms of service, a mix of free and paid subscription models, and may not ensure the confidentiality of the information shared. Colgate University does not endorse any specific AI tools.

Gemini is Google’s AI chatbot, combining machine learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP). It is currently available with data protection through your Colgate Google account.

Copilot is Microsoft’s chatbot, built on OpenAI’s models. It offers enterprise-level data compliance and is accessible through your Colgate credentials.

Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT uses NLP to answer questions, generate content, summarize information, and more. The free version has usage constraints and no data protection, access to the latest models (ChatGPT Plus) is subscription-based with monthly fees.

Anthropic’s chatbot, Claude, also employs NLP to address prompts and analyze certain document types. The free version has usage constraints and no data protection, access to the latest models (Pro) is subscription-based with monthly fees.

To ensure the safety and protection of Colgate’s data, consult with ITS before procuring internal or external AI tools for use on the Colgate network or Colgate devices. ITS will ensure the tool meets appropriate privacy and security protections.

Explore our approach, tools, and guidelines for using AI in the classroom, in research, and at work.

Human learning comes first. AI strengthens—not replaces—the liberal arts education that defines Colgate.

#### 1. Human-Centered Learning Comes First

#### 2. AI Within the Curriculum

#### 3. AI in Research & Innovation

#### 4. AI Beyond the Classroom

A coordinated, campus-wide commitment to responsible innovation.

Shared tools and institutional frameworks that support teaching and research.